Not sure why I think of a Gnome here, but it's all I can think of so there it is.
Took a very fun and very photo-productive trip out to the Painted Hills and Smith Rock with Andrea and several friends last weekend. We were blessed with fantastic light and color every occasion we visited the sights.
This was a mid-day exposure when I didn't expect to get any good photos...just snapshots. The rain clouds opened up to a beautiful blue sky and there was nice even light throughout. This hill caught my eye, with the silver tones of the tree against the golds of the pasture. No dramatic lighting here, but I liked the way the wall of clouds compressed the wide-angle a little.
Canon EOS 50D
EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS
ISO 100 : f/8 : 1/100 sec
Circ Pol Handheld
Contrast, Edge Burn in Photoshop.
Be great without the dead tree in the fg. As is, there are too many competing subjects, I think. Or... crop it to a square?? Colors are great, as is the contrast in warm and cool tones, as you noted.
With those dramatic clouds, this would be an interesting one to play with BW. Good idea to keep an open mind for middle of the day shots. I often get lazy and don't carry my camera when I'm out exploring, not a good habit. I don't mind the dead tree too much, but it is interesting how the evergreen behind it competes for my eye.
I think the dead tree is a good addition to the scene. I just would have like to see separation from it, the hill, and the green tree in the BG. I don't mind the mid day light. The colors are still interesting, and the clouds do a good job of filling in what would be dead space had it been a totally bluebird sky. Thanks for the recent comments on my website, BTW. Much appreciated.
Great spot - I really need to get back there some day. I know the dead tree well - and also wish there was something to create a little more separation... the detail is wonderful in this!
I agree that the tree isn't adding anything here since it's sort of getting lost in the background. I really like the hill and the sky with the clouds. A B&W version, with a darker sky and no tree and you might really have something.
Posted by Chris Hodney on May 18, 2009 at 12:08 PM
just getting back to looking at this. Thanks for the comments everyone. I agree that the overlap of the FG tree and the BG evergreen throws the balance off a bit. Unfortunately I was snapping away on this day as I toured with friends.
I have some better images I took at sunset the night before I'll post. One has some spectacular grasses in the FG.
A nice view of a beautiful place. I need to remember to visit this place soon.
I would definitely try to bring more action from the sky. I am sure there is enough information in the RAW file to bring it at full. Marc also had a good point about b/w - yes, it would be worth trying.
Discussion
7 repliesTook a very fun and very photo-productive trip out to the Painted Hills and Smith Rock with Andrea and several friends last weekend. We were blessed with fantastic light and color every occasion we visited the sights.
This was a mid-day exposure when I didn't expect to get any good photos...just snapshots. The rain clouds opened up to a beautiful blue sky and there was nice even light throughout. This hill caught my eye, with the silver tones of the tree against the golds of the pasture. No dramatic lighting here, but I liked the way the wall of clouds compressed the wide-angle a little.
Canon EOS 50D
EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS
ISO 100 : f/8 : 1/100 sec
Circ Pol Handheld
Contrast, Edge Burn in Photoshop.
I have some better images I took at sunset the night before I'll post. One has some spectacular grasses in the FG.
I would definitely try to bring more action from the sky. I am sure there is enough information in the RAW file to bring it at full. Marc also had a good point about b/w - yes, it would be worth trying.